A lack of understanding in the medical World for PTSD

[NightOwl]

How much training in the medical World is given to the initial diagnosis of PTSD and the dealing of the after-care of it?

The reason I ask is that I've had a tremendous problem in finding someone with expertise in dealing with PTSD. I found one Doctor that was very good as he had dealt with Iraqi war veterans and seemed to have a good understanding of PTSD, and has been very kind and reassuring to me, (he made a special trip to see me), but unfortunately he is too far away from me at the moment. It seems to be such a specialist field that it is very difficult to find somebody that truly understands the problems and how to deal with them.

I'd very much appreciate any advice on how to find somebody to guide me through. :huh:

NightOwl

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Can you remind me of what part of the world you're in, NightOwl?

 

[NightOwl]

Thank you very much for answering David. I'm in a reasonably remote part of Scotland, which makes it more difficult to find somebody.

NightOwl

 

[David Baxter PhD]

I'm not the best at geography but try these resources and see if there's anything there that helps:

Scotland:: Psychlinks Directory of Therapists

Scotland:: Psychlinks Medical and Mental Health Support Groups Directory

 

[NightOwl]

Thank you David for those links. Unfortunately I'm not close to any of the large towns. I'll look into the possibility of trying to get counselling on-line. I have a web-cam and know how to use virtual conference rooms. It's something I've been thinking of as a possibility.

NightOwl

 

[Meg]

I actually went to a seminar last year about a trial of video-conferencing therapy for those who live on remote Scottish islands. It focused on eating disorders, so I don't know if there would be something appropriate for you or not, but it's definitely something that has been looked into as a possibility in Scotland. (The trial was good, btw!)

I hope that you are able to find the help you're after.

 

[NightOwl]

Thanks very much Meg for that. It's certainly a possibility, I'll look into it further. I have heard that video conferencing is something that is being used more and more, especially for outlying areas; I've already used my computer, telephone and snail mail for my studying and found it very good and would welcome the idea of video conferencing.

That sounds an interesting seminar that you went to.

NightOwl

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Australia, for probably obvious reasons, has been a pioneer in various forms of "distance therapy" via telephone and internet.

 

[amastie]

Hi nightowl,

I live in Australia and yes, I've heard of video conferencing, even the provision of medical aid (including the use - perhaps just the trial, I'm not sure - of robots used via remote control to perform medical procedures in those parts of Australia that are particularly remote.

I have a similar diagnosis to you in that my primary diagnosis is trauma based. That is dissociative disorder, and there seem to be even fewer doctors who understand about that. The main professional body which looks into dissociative disorders is in the US but I've been lucky to find a psychiatrist on the other side of the city where I live who specializes in it. To find the therapists who work with dissociation, I originally got onto the internet and also rang the ISSD (International Society for the Study of Dissociation) to find therapists in Australia, then in my own city. A surprising number of doctors, some psychiatrists among them, don't even believe in dissociative disorders (at least, not the most extreme form, even though it's listed in the DSM), so geography isn't the only problem in finding a good therapist.

I'm sorry that you are having such a hard time finding one too. At least, I live in a major city of Australia and can search around without use of teleconferencing. But that *does* sound like a good idea for you.

One other thing I would suggest is that you look up professional bodies around the world that work particularly with PTSD - and they probably are the same people who work with Dissociation - and see if they can link you, even if only by telephone or internet conferencing - to therapists who can help. The ISSD in the US might be one such group (can't say for sure but it might be worth a try.) They have an internet site too.

Good luck!

amastie

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Bear in mind that most physicians are not trained in psychiatry or psychotherapy, so to be fair one shouldn't expect them to have much knowledge of PTSD beyond what you would expect from a layman. That would be like expecting your plumber to know how to fix your car.

 

[NightOwl]

Thank you David and Amastie for your replies. Australia is a very large country where I could imagine video conferencing could be very helpful in therapy counseling in remote areas. I’m very interested in trying to find out more as to whether it would be possible in Scotland.

Thank you for your good ideas Amastie, I’ll try doing some searches to see what I can find. One of the worries I have is if I look for therapy outside the UK, the costs may be prohibitive, but I’m not too sure about this at the moment, I’ll do some more research.

That’s really good that you’ve found somebody on the other side of the city where you live that understands dissociative disorders. It’s amazing the lack of knowledge that I’ve come up against in the medical World with dealing with some of the complex problems that come with PTSD. It seems to be a very specialist field.

I hope your therapist is able to help you through your path to recovery. You’ve done a lot of work in seeking help and you deserve all to go well.

Yes that's right David, not all Doctors are trained in PTSD; I have a relative that is trained in a specialist medical field and he has little idea about PTSD but is exceptionally good at his specialty.

NightOwl

 

[amastie]

I hope you find what you need too :support:
fondly,
amastie